Tarique Rahman takes oath as Bangladesh PM

• Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman was sworn in as Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister on February 17.

• It marks a new beginning for the country after 18 months of political uncertainty.

• The BNP coalition bagged 212 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance secured 77 seats in the 13th Parliamentary elections held on February 12.

• The student-led protests brought down the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

• The country was under the rule of the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took charge in August 2024 after the collapse of the Awami League regime.

• President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to 60-year-old Rahman at the South Plaza.

• President Shahabuddin also administered the oath to 25 ministers and 24 state ministers at the ceremony.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla meets Rahman

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the oath ceremony.

• They held talks for nearly 20 minutes during which Birla greeted Rahman and expected Delhi-Dhaka ties under his new government would grow further.

• Birla handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rahman, conveying his wishes and inviting him to visit India at the “earliest convenience”.

• Both leaders expressed optimism about working together for the well-being of the people of the two countries, pursuing a people-centric menu of cooperation.

• Birla’s presence at the ceremony came as Dhaka and New Delhi are looking at rebuilding their ties that came under severe strain under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government.